This year’s closing night programme shows where the future of global filmmaking and conversation is heading. Opening with some of the best worldwide talents exploring complex concepts and realities with innovative techniques and from valuable, under-exposed perspectives. The programme pushes us to look outside of ourselves, with films that consider ableism and perceived barriers in various settings, and others showing the resilience of the human spirit under harsh circumstances. The stories shared portray both the universally resonant, and the specific and distinct, perspectives that help illuminate the realities of our world. Let’s learn from each other.

*We’ve included an F-Rating scale (F,FF,FFF), for films directed by women and/or written by women and/or have significant women on screen. 11 out of 25 films in our programme fall under a category of F-Rated shorts. We are also very proud to promote 7 First-Time-Filmmakers.

PART I

Recipe // dir. Gleb Torubarov // 05′ // narrative // China // 2016 // F // International team: China, Russia, USA, Japan
When the fantasy of happily ever after fails to live up to the reality, it can form a recipe for disaster.

Susan // dir. Pavitra Chalam // 07′ // documentary // India // 2016 // FFF //
Susan copy going to rewrite all: Susan sees its brave and strong Indian heroine go from being victimised to being a survivor of human trafficking. Susan describes her ordeal and traumas in her own voice, and urges us to take action to protect innocent people from the evil in society.

Close the Shutters // dir. Ynon Lan // 05′ // mixed media // Israel // 2016 // // First-time Filmmaker //
A young man tries to hold on to the image of his sick grandfather, by piecing together fragments of memories he has of him in this innovative moving-image collage.

Marina and Adrienne // dir. Lucy Campbell // 13′ // narrative // UK // 2016 // FFF //
Set at sea, runaway lovers find themselves in the eye of a storm, where childbirth, death and superstition are challenged by the power of love.

65,5 women // dir. Liv Mari Mortensen // 06′ // narrative // Norway // 2015 // FFF //
To understand a recent failure, a young man begins to take note of all the women he has slept with. As he tries to reduce his affairs to simple characteristics the memories start to take over, leaving him to face the one person he truly wanted.

Neon // dir. Mark J. Blackman // 15′ // narrative // UK // 2016 // International team: UK, Jamaica, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Australia, Switzerland, Nigeria
Elias is given a second chance at life, but forced to work as a ‚matchmaker’ and forbidden by the higher powers from pursuing Mary, the woman he’s always loved. What happens when he tries to finally end his heartbreak?

Pittari // dir. Patrick Smith // 04′ // animation // USA // 2017 // International team: USA, Japan, Germany, Latvia
A horned creature’s destructive rampage is halted by a stubborn adversary. Loosely based on Tom Robbin’s depiction of Tanuki, a Japanese mythical creature known for his mischief, „Pittari” is scored to an old phonographic gospel recording to help illustrating a relentless resistance to the creature.

Honeymoon // dir. Ronit Meranda // 10′ // narrative // UK // 2016 // FFF // First-time Filmmaker // International team: UK, Turkey, Norway
Lucy and Johanna are on their honeymoon. Johanna is partially, and Lucy profoundly, Deaf. They arrive at a B&B where they are greeted by a sullen landlady. Signing allows them to be carefree about arguing over how inappropriate their reception at the B&B is, and a once insignificant disagreement silently turns into hurt, as the river behind them dominates audible space.

A Never-ending Dream // dir. Berta Tilmantaite // 04′ // documentary // Lithuania // 2016 // FF //
A 17 year old Lithuanian swimmer prepares to compete in the freestyle swimming – 50m, 100m and 400m distances. He is the only disabled swimmer in Lithuania’s national team at the 2016 Paralympics.

The Bus Trip // dir. Sarah Gampel // 14′ // mixed media // Sweden // 2016 // FFF // International team: Sweden, Norway, Taiwan, Palestine, USA
Sarah is invited to show her film in Israel as part of a film festival. On the bus trip there, she hopes for political discussions and connection, but the conversation stops each time she brings up the occupation of Palestine. So instead, Sarah talks to her dead dad over a noisy phone line.

Zilan // dir. Mehmet Mahsum Akyel // 07′ // narrative // Turkey // 2015 // First-time Filmmaker
The number of Kurdish villages depopulated by Turkey is estimated at around 3,000. Since 1984 two million Kurdish refugees have been driven out of their homes. This film tells the story of an evacuation seen through the eyes of a little girl.

Canada Water Culture Space is a part of an innovative partnership with Southwark Council. A 150-seat Culture Space is managed and programmed by the Albany, South East London’s leading performing arts venue. The Albany has a reputation for visionary programming that reflects the cultural diversity and creative mix of the area.